50 + Easy Mix & Match School Lunch Ideas

Thank you CAPRI SUN for sponsoring this post. You can find CAPRI SUN’s four new drinks with natural Ingredients and No Sugar Added at most grocery retailers nationwide, including local grocery stores, mass merchandisers and club stores.

The school year is in full swing which means a few things: busier schedules, hectic morning and also running out of ideas on what to pack your kids for lunch. I know in the beginning of the year I am full of new and fun ideas on what to pack, but towards the middle of the year we often get in a rut. A rut full of repeat PB & J’s, crackers and boring juice boxes. If you are in the same boat as me, there is hope! I have over 50 easy mix & match school lunch ideas that will be just what you need to help pack your kids lunches in the morning without any added time or stress.

I am always looking for new and healthy ideas for my kid’s lunches.  My kids vary from LOVING buying lunch to HATING it. My two that like to often choose pizza with ranch and chocolate milk, so I like to limit them to buying once a week.  The other days, I like to send them with a lunch from home. I try to choose the best options, sticking with natural or organic fruits and veggies, nitrate free lunch meats and homemade whenever I can.

An easy way to make your kids lunch for school is to mix & match from different categories. By choosing foods from each category you are sure you will be packing your kids a healthy and balanced lunch that is packed full of the vitamins and energy they need to keep their bellies full until they come home!

Once you’ve mixed and matched your main parts, you can’t forget the drink! My kids are all about the juice box (obviously) but I like to try and avoid the ones with all that added sugar. One staple in our house are the four new CAPRI SUN products that are each made with all natural ingredients and no added sugar. Each flavor also has no high-fructose corn syrup, artificial colors, flavors or preservatives- which is awesome.

We loved the originals but my kids really love the new versions! The CAPRI SUN Fruit Refreshers are made with a simple combination of all-natural fruit juice and filtered water that has an awesome taste kids love without the sugar that mom doesn’t want. They also have 50% less sugar than the average leading fruit juices**. The CAPRI SUN Organic drinks are a Certified USDA Organic fruit drink blend aimed at helping parents strike right balance between what your kids want to drink and what you feel good about serving. The CAPRI SUN 100% Juice are almost like the classic pouch but are filled with 100% Juice. They each have a full ¾ cup of fruit juice per pouch. Lastly, we really love the CAPRI SUN Fruit & Veggie Blends. They are packed with yummy fruit and veggie juices which give kids a delicious fruit juice flavor but also with ½ cup of fruit and veggie juice in each pouch.

These four new products from CAPRI SUN have the taste kids love, without the ingredients that parents don’t want in their kids’ drinks. CAPRI SUN is definitely a brand that continues to innovate and listen to consumers, and knows that parents want to feel good about what they give their kids to eat and drink. That’s the main reason CAPRI SUN created four products with All Natural Ingredients and No Added Sugar*, and why their products have never contained artificial preservatives, colors or flavors – to give parents options with ingredients that fit their preferences.

Here are some of my favorite ideas for school lunches, besides the traditional PB & J. Mix & Match from different sections to be easily pack a yummy Lunch for your kids each day!

Sandwiches and Wraps

• ham/turkey/roast beef/cheese roll ups
• sliced strawberries with strawberry cream cheese
• chicken or egg salad
• sandwich kabobs (avoid the pointy sticks)
• fruit jam and cream cheese
• hummus and turkey with lettuce
• apple butter with apple slices
• pretzel skewers with cubed turkey/ham/cheese
• spreadable cheese triangles with turkey/ham/roast beef

Proteins

• chicken or turkey sausage
• boiled eggs
• taquitos
• mini burritos
• mini pizzas
• corndog muffins
• turkey burger
• veggie burger

Fruits

• fruit cubes  (melons)
• berries
• frozen grapes
• natural fruit cups
• natural apple sauce squeezes
• fruit smoothie squeezes
• dried fruits
• pineapple chunks
• cuties

Veggies

• carrot sticks
• snap peas
• pepper strips
• sliced cucumbers
• steamed broccoli or green beans
• sliced or cherry tomatoes
• mini salad

Carbs

• whole wheat crackers
• pretzels
• goldfish
• bagel with cream cheese
• leftover pasta
• granola bars, fruit bars

Dairy

• spreadable cheese
• yogurt (squeezes or cups)
• string, sliced, or snack cheese
• cheese cubes
• cottage cheese

Treats

• mini muffins (banana, chocolate chip, zucchini, blueberry, corn, carrot)
• fig newtons
• pudding
• 1-2 mini chocolate bars/chocolate kisses
• 1-2 mini cookies
• trail mix (with a few chocolate pieces!)
• chocolate covered granola bar
• natural fruit snacks

So there you have it!  Over 50 healthy and yummy idea combinations for school lunches.  Mix and match to make a nice lunch that will help to keep your kids moving and grooving though out the school day.  My kids are limited on what peanut products they can bring, so if yours go to a school that isn’t, then you’d have even more options.  Remember to pack your kids lunch safely and green: reusable containers, bags, metal or BPA-free water bottles and ICE PACKS!  Foods such as mayo, cheese and chicken or egg salad need to be kept at a certain temperature to remain safe.  Teach your kids to return the containers home (and remember to put their names on them) so you can reuse them day after day.

By choosing whole foods like these, paired with a yummy and wholesome CAPRI SUN, you can be sure your kids will love their lunch each day! Remember that kids love anything fun so colorful fruits, veggies, funny shaped sandwiches and anything on a stick is a good choice.  Spending a few extra minutes making their lunches the night before will really lessen the chances for tradsies at lunchtime too.

*Not a low calorie beverage

**Per 6oz, this produce 10g of sugar, leading average fruit juice 20g of sugar.

What’s your kids favorite school lunch?

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.